2 Cor 7: Studies

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each chapter is divided into a number of studies and each study or passage has a simple four-Part, verse-by-verse approach, to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: 2 Cor 7:1-4

1 Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

2 Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one. 3 I do not say this to condemn you; I have said before that you have such a place in our hearts that we would live or die with you. 4 I have spoken to you with great frankness; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.

A. Find Out:    

1. What does Paul exhort them to do and why? v.1
2. What does he ask them to do? v.2a
3. What does he say he hasn’t done? v.2b
4. Why wasn’t he saying this? v.3a
5. What does he feel about them? v.3b
6. What more does he say about them? v.4

B. Think:

1. What sort of thing is Paul seeking to correct in Corinth?
2. What do you think were the feelings of the Corinthians?
3. So how was Paul trying to overcome that?

C. Comment:

A letter is a one-sided communication. Paul’s letters were responding to people and situations. We don’t have what those situations were, just his responding to the situations. So when we read his responses, we can work out the other side.

From Paul’s writings here it seems that things had been going on in Corinth that were contaminating the believers with uncleanness, possibly in both body and spirit. We know that Corinth was a morally impure place and perhaps the believers were being contaminated by its ways. Yesterday we saw Paul speak again partnering unbelievers, so it’s quite possible it was something of a sexual nature.

The other problem that Paul faces is that he has already written to them and has had a negative reaction from them. We know that from 2:4,9. Whenever there is sin in the church there is also deception and division and upset. So, we see Paul first exhorting them to cleanse themselves and work out holiness, but then appealing for them to receive him and what he says in their hearts. I haven’t done any wrong, he says, so don’t push me away for that reason. I’m not trying to condemn you, for you actually have a real place in our hearts of love. We are blessed by you, so please receive us. That is humility.

D. Application:

1. Sin breeds deception and division. Beware.
2. Paul’s approach is the iron hand in a velvet glove. What an example!

Passage: 2 Cor 7:5-7

5 For when we came into Macedonia, we had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn – conflicts on the outside, fears within. 6 But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 7 and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.

A. Find Out:

1. What had they encountered in Macedonia? v.5
2. Who comforts who? v.6a
3. How had they been comforted? v.6b
4. What two ways had they been comforted? v.7a
5. What three things had Paul been told about? v.7b

B. Think:

1. What clues does Paul give us about early apostolic ministry here?
2. In what two ways, again, had Paul been comforted?
3. What had the Corinthians obviously felt about Paul?

C. Comment:

We pause on just three verses because they contain a particular facet of the life of the early church planters (apostles). Paul tells how, when they came to Macedonia, they seemed to encounter every sort of opposition, they were “harassed at every turn”. Planting new churches was pure warfare! Wherever they turned the enemy brought conflicts in his endeavour to stop them. And Paul is very honest about this. This was not something glorious and wonderful, persecution never is. No, this was something that made them afraid. Yes, even the great apostle was afraid when these things came upon him. He needed picking up!

Then Titus had come. That was a comfort in itself, just having another brother arrive to stand alongside. But more than that Titus came with news about the Corinthians. They had really helped and blessed Titus, and when they had talked about Paul it was with a real longing to see him again. His last letter (we’ll see tomorrow) had brought them real sorrow, but also a concern to follow Paul’s directions, and that had brought real joy to Paul.

Again and again in this letter we see something of the interaction between this church in Corinth that had strayed, and the apostle Paul who was anxious for them and had a duty to bring correction, however tough that may be.

D. Application:

1. Correction may cause upset but it is essential when there is sin.
2. Depth of relationship enables correction to be brought easier.

Passage: 2 Cor 7:8-12

8 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it – I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while – 9 yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. 12 So even though I wrote to you, it was neither on account of the one who did the wrong nor on account of the injured party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are.

A. Find Out:

1. What effect did Paul’s letter seem to have on them? v.8
2. What had that led on to? v.9
3. What is the right order of things? v.10
4. What had godly sorrow brought in them? v.11
5. So what does Paul conclude about his writing? v.12

B. Think:

1. Why was a ‘hurtful’ letter essential?
2. How do the two different sorts of sorrow work?
3. How did the Corinthians show they had the right sort of sorrow?

C. Comment:

When Paul had written before (whether it was 1 Corinthians or another letter) his letter had caused upset. It was a letter of correction (as 1 Corinthians is) and it had a good effect among the Corinthian Christians. Instead of defending themselves the Corinthians had wanted to clear their name by dealing with the matter. They were really upset that they had offended God (and Paul) by their sin. The sorrow that his letter had produced was indeed worth it. More than that, says Paul, when there is sin it is imperative that there is godly sorrow and upset, for only that will lead to true repentance.

Here within this short passage, we find some basic principles. When sin is revealed in a person there can be one of two reactions. One reaction is ‘worldly sorrow’, that is the sorrow of having been found out, the sorrow of remorse at exposure. It isn’t really sorry that it has committed sin, only that it has been found out. This sort of sorrow doesn’t deal with the issue and so leads to death.

The other sorrow is godly sorrow, a sorrow that grieves that it has offended God. That sorrow leads to true repentance, a turning away from the sin, back to God and back to righteousness. This sort of sorrow is anxious to put things right, and this, of course, leads to salvation and to life.

D. Application:

1. Worldly sorrow is self-centred and is not concerned for the sin.
2. Godly sorrow grieves at offending God and brings repentance.

Passage: 2 Cor 7:13-16

13 By all this we are encouraged.

In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you. 14 I had boasted to him about you, and you have not embarrassed me. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting about you to Titus has proved to be true as well. 15 And his affection for you is all the greater when he remembers that you were all obedient, receiving him with fear and trembling. 16 I am glad I can have complete confidence in you.

A. Find Out:

1. What had happened to Titus? v.13
2. What had Paul done with Titus? v.14a
3. How had that worked out? v.14b
4. What did Titus feel about them and why? v.15
5. What did Paul say about what he felt about them? v.16

B. Think:

1. What had first of all encouraged Paul in these verses?
2. How had he then been additionally encouraged?
3. What does this passage tell us about the early church?

C. Comment:

Concluding his comments about their repentance, Paul says that he has been really encouraged by the Corinthians’ response. That had really blessed him. However that wasn’t the only thing that had blessed him about them. When Titus had arrived after having visited them, he was clearly blessed by his visit and this in turn blessed Paul.

Let’s note what had happened to Titus when he had visited Corinth . First Paul notes that Titus had been really refreshed by the visit. That was the overall effect upon him of it. When people come to visit us, do they go away feeling refreshed?

Second, he observes that the Corinthians had received Titus with fear and trembling, acknowledging his apostolic office and recognising his authority. In this they had a good attitude. Do we hold a good attitude towards all who come to visit us?

Third, he notes that they were obedient. They did what they were told by spiritual authority. They obeyed the word of God. Do we receive God’s word when it comes to us from an outsider, and are we obedient to it? As a result of all this Paul is blessed. What he had told Titus about them had proved true and that made him feel completely confident in them. Although they had to be corrected, he still had confidence in them. They had responded well to the correction.

D. Application:

1. How well do we respond to correction?
2. Do we welcome those who come with words of correction?